-First
Person: By Any Other Name
-Columns: Daisy Hernandez, Patricia Smith and Gloria
Steinem

We
are a collective of young women of color. We have freedom
schools for young women of color, focusing on creating
a spiritual and activist community. We don't label ourselves
in terms of gender, because our politics are on issues
of sexism, racism, classism, and ageism. We feel that
many previous liberation movements failed because they
didn't integrate race and gender. In this country, what
has become mainstream feminism--the struggle for social,
political, and economic equality for women--hasn't been
women struggling for all women. It lacks a class and race
analysis. It's important for all of us to call ourselves
out. I went to college, on scholarship, but I went. And
that privilege I have can silence other people.

I'm
not saying that people are evil because of their privileges,
but acknowledging that white women have privileges in
this society is important. It isn't just about the discourse,
it's about what issues you work on. I don't see major
welfare rights or major anti-sweatshop or women worker
movements on the feminist agenda. Until feminists are
adamantly and passionately fighting against these issues
that affect women of color and poor women, who are most
disenfranchised in this system, we can't call ourselves
feminists. If you start from self-determination, it makes
sense that feminism has gone where it's gone. Though I'm
learning that there were always women of color involved,
they didn't hold positions of power. Mainstream feminists
wouldn't have men taking on leadership roles, or being
the spokespeople. But you would want to work with them
and have them be supportive. It's the same for us: we
want white women supporting our struggle as allies.